SACRAMENTO -- Freshman Teysha-Ray Spinney-Kuahuia and junior Abigail Lopez each scored their second goals of the season, but visiting Pacific scored twice in the final eight minutes of regulation to erase a one-goal deficit and hand host Sacramento State a 3-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Hornet Soccer Field.
The loss was the second straight for the Hornets, who fell to 2-4-1 overall, while the Tigers improved to 5-2-1 with their second consecutive victory.
Following a 19th minute strike that put Pacific on the scoreboard first, it was the Sacramento State offense that took over for the second part of the opening half as the Hornets equalized on goal by Spinney-Kuahuia three minutes later.
Freshman Ellie Farber won a foot race to the top of the 18 and tapped it to Spinney-Kuahuia making a run up the middle. The freshman the took a touch to her right and unleashed a right foot from about 10 yards out, beating the Pacific keeper to the left side to tie the match at one apiece.
Neither team could manage another score for the rest of the period as Abigail Lopez missed high on her attempt in the 28th minute and the Tigers clanged one off the crossbar in the 31st minute. Lopez, however, would get a second opportunity early in the second and would not miss.
Fans barely had time to settle in before Lopez made it 2-1 just 95 seconds into the period as Pacific tried to play a ball back on defense where the Sacramento State junior was lying in wait. Lopez timed her run and beat the Tiger defender to the ball at the top of the 18, striking a sliding right foot into the upper right corner of the goal for the 2-1 advantage.
The score remained that way until the 82nd minute when Pacific was able to come up with the tying score. Haley Johnson played a ball forward from the midline for Jaida Nyby, who spun around her defender into open space at the top of the 18 and one-timed a bouncing ball to the left post to tie the match at two.
Four minutes later, it was Johnson again getting the play started as a loose ball in the box was unable to be cleared by the Hornet defense and found an unmarked Anaya Shelton on the right side, who punched it home for the eventual game-winner.
Pacific held a 14-12 advantage in shots, including 6-4 in shots on frame, and finished with eight of the nine corner kicks in the match, but Sacramento State rebounded in the second half for a 7-5 lead in that category. Spinney-Kuahuia and Lopez led the Hornets with three attempts each.
Sacramento State travels to Saint Mary's on Thursday (Sept. 14) for a 4 p.m. kickoff in Moraga, Calif., before coming home to close out non-conference play on Sunday (Sept. 17) at 1 p.m. against California Baptist. The Sunday match against the Lancers will be "Senior Day" for the Hornets, who will honor
Sarah Smith and
Sammy Wong in a pregame ceremony prior to kickoff.
